Students meet minister over EMA cuts

The EMA is a payment of up to £30 per week to learners from lower income families.

Leaders from NUS-USI, which represents over 200,000 higher and further education students in Northern Ireland, will meet minister John O'Dowd on Monday to outline their opposition to proposals to cut the allowance.

Adrianne Peltz from the student movement said: "We had a very positive meeting with the Employment and Learning Minister, Stephen Farry, on EMA a few weeks ago.

"It's absolutely crucial that the Education Minister responds as positively as his Executive colleague did as regards NUS-USI's alternative proposals on EMA.

"NUS-USI has offered two alternative proposals which are pragmatic yet offer a far better deal for students than the government's options which were set out in their consultation."